A recurring theme on this thread is "buy what you like".
Are there actually o gauge people who buy what they don't like? I mean, "buy what you like" sounds more like a given than a rule.
Or am I missing something here?
I take it to mean that they place no restrictions as to era and/or railroad.
Although I have very little rolling stock, my guideline is "ENOUGH ALREADY".
My collection is broken down into 2 categories. Scale, which is modern diesels and rolling stock. The second one is toy, which is mostly the postwar reissues, PRR, GN, and Christmas. One rule is that I like to keep the cars in the consist the same road name as the engine. The exceptions to this are the postwar sets, and with the modern trains I'll put a predecessor road name in there ex. NS with N&W and Southern cars. The other rule is that all the modern cars must be scale. I should also mention with the single roadname only rule, I do put privately owned cars in them too ex. I enjoy running my Bureau of Land Management coal and log dump cars with my Great Northern equipment.
Bill
I've only been back in the hobby for about 3 years myself, but have a few rules already.
1. Stay with one chosen road name (BNSF) (an exception or two has been made here, but very few)
2. No duplicate car or engine numbers
3. Try to stay with scale size. (I started out with RailKing, but am now going more toward scale. Exceptions are operating cars for my grandson)
4. Engines are all diesel (mostly modern), no steam, all command control DCS & Legacy
5. Maximum curve O-54
I think that's about it. #1 & 4 also provide a little help with the old train budget too.
6. One more thing, I think I'm going to stick with new purchases for a while, my luck hasn't been real good with used items recently.
Traditional sized as long as I like it. Scale rolling stock is Lionel steam and transitional era. Road and region does not matter. Blt by Lionel is a must. They just took care of future new purchases from me.
Freight rolling stock:
A. Used-NIB or LN condition. Get the best deals on used stuff.
B. Scale only.
C. 1930-1960 Steam era.
D. UP or PFE only.
E. Reefers-Lionel. I like them best. Don't care if duplicate #s, the more the better. Goal is to have a set of every one Lionel has made. Only missing a few.
Passenger cars:
A. Used-NIB or LN condition. Awesome deals on used stuff.
B. Scale only.
C. 1930-1960 Steam era.
D. UP only.
E. Aluminum (prefer).
F. K-Line, Lionel, MTH. I'd like to have a GGD set in UP TTG.
Motive power:
A. Lionel, 3rd Rail, MTH.
B. Scale UP Steam only.
Just to let you know that I have read the responses here several times. Fascinating to see how each person's interest in the hobby guides his/her thinking.
I stick with the chessie road name under C&O,B&O and WM. It doesn't matter if its scale or semi scale because back in the 70's cars was smaller. I buy what i like no and or buts. I try to stick to prototype as much as i can. I do buy some holiday cars. I don't buy same road numbers either and don't buy a bunch of cars try to buy different cars each of different style etc.
Just to let you know that I have read the responses here several times. Fascinating to see how each person's interest in the hobby guides his/her thinking.
Yes, you have had great response to this interesting question. It has been fun to participate.
Excellent question, Mike!
Hmmm. Rules. Well, there are a few:
I'm sure I am forgetting a few rules, but that's all I can think of right now.
George
Concerning scale O, I try....repeat, try to stick with a pre 1950's theme and have vanilla tastes in PRR, NYC and such as motive power. Being a Canuck I tend to lean towards CP when feeling patriotic.
No holds barred when it comes to anything else. LTI, MPC, PW, prewar, SG, American Flyer S....it's all good!
Bruce
I came up with some “rules” mainly to limit my buying (I've visited too many people with way too much stuff). First off, my layout is based on the Pennsylvania Railroad because that is what I inherited from my farther-in-law.
I wanted steam power plus some diesels so that meant modeling the transition period. So I came up with this: everything on my layout, whether trains, cars, buildings, or anything else, had to be in use on a specific date during the steam to diesel transition period; an layout era of one day.
The issue was what date to use. A quick look at PRR history showed major changes happening to the road between 1949 and 1952 (new diesels and paint schemes). So, I came up with Nov 16, 1949 mainly because that is my birthday. This was late enough that many steamers were retired by then, and many diesels types had not yet been purchased.
So my rules are:
- No engine or car with a build or rebuild date later than 11/1949.
- Scale dimensioned equipment only. Since my mainlines have O80 or larger curves, I am not limited to engine size.
- Mostly correct paint schemes. I’m not a rivet counter, but items have to look right.
- No duplicate car numbers.
Have I been true to these rules? Well, mostly. I will have a diorama of a town celebrating the arrival of the Freedom Train, but the train’s last run was in January, 1949. I run a PRR Y3 which was no longer used by the PRR after 1948 (I really wanted an articulated engine). The GM Train of Tomorrow, which I just purchased, didn’t quite make Nov; its last run was in Oct. I do have some duplicate car numbers, a few cars with Blt by Lionel build dates, and a few with build dates in the early 1950s. However, I am now trying to stick to my rules when I buy new stuff.
I am running post war O-27 only so I keep the freight cars in proportion accordingly. I am going to eventually find a really minty set of 2400 passenger cars to go with. I operate on the traditional 4x8 layout, so the smaller scale of O-27 locos and rolling stock is great. Also since I do not have a lot of storage and operating room I don't need two of anything (duplicate road numbers)...
Most of my track is O36 Fastrack with one outer loop of O48 so smaller is better in motive power. My DD35a engines are the extreme limit an those are it.
So my rules are:
1. 3 rail O gauge....nothing else.
2. Time period is tinplate to new.....although the new is not near as much fun as it used to be.
3. Railroads are UP, SP, WP, Northern Pacific, and Pennsy.
4. I like to buy themes and put together consists. Like I have a unique car SP consist where the cars are oddball that I like with the SP name. I also am working on building a patriotic train with the whole consist being red, white, and blue rolling stock.
5. Wife, aka FRA Administrator must approve funding.
1. All stock is now scale.......no more semi scale or traditional.
2. The LESS colorful the better. Versions of red/tuscan best.
3. The more common the better. I don't like unusual cars in consist.
4. Fantasy roads are OK as long as they look authentic......no 'Sprite' box cars.
5. Multiple cars with same numbers are fine....more than 3 feet away I can't see them....who cares!
Not much else.....I go for a 'look' more than anything.
My rules for buying rolling stock:
1. It must be less than $40 (see #4)
2. Must run on O track (see #4)
3. Must fit on at least o-42 curves (see # 4)
4. All rules are subject to change if I really like something
Regardless of era, it must have run in real life on the mainline around Glacier Park Montana semi-normally. When I operate I put trains together that would have been and I don't put steam engines with modern day auto carriers. I group the O27 stuff together and the full-size stuff together--I don't inter-mix.
So that means: GN, BN, BNSF, AMTRAK, SP&S, BURLINGTON ROUTE, MONTANA RAIL LINK, and other cars that have been there.
Yes I have VERY strict rules for my railroad.
Rule #1. Run whatever the heck I want!
Rule #2. Refer to rule #1!
I have done some H.O. trains and have bought about six or seven hopper cars with the same number on them. I bought some stencils as well and re-numbered several of the cars.
Not into H.O. that much any more and may even sell off my H.O. trains very soon.
I have not re-numbered any O gauge freight or passenger cars and probably won't re-number any either.
Lee Fritz
I've been in the hobby for only 3 years and had no particular rules as we are generally passenger train aficionados working on a NYC theme. But this is really limiting if you like big steam and articulated Challenger, Allegheny and Big Boy to name just three. So I bought a few freight cars from each of Atlas, Lionel and MTH. Concluded quickly that rule no. 1 is to stay away from Lionel. It makes the flimsiest lightest cars and at a price that competes with Atlas. Rule no. 2 is don't stick to rules. My office windows face the Worcester (and Providence) line and the freight it pulls varies from New England road names to Union Pacific to just about everything in between. Peter
Sure, I’ll take a crack at this game:
1: No duplicate numbers. And if I ever did by chance buy a duplicate-numbered car, I’d get out the dry transfers and add a digit.
2: I much prefer boxcar red box cars, but I’m not about to get rid of my Standard O B&O Sentinel car.
3: No freight cars longer than 40’. On my small layout, they wouldn’t look good anyway.
4: My only interest is in northeastern roads. So far, that means RDG, NYC and PRR.
5: Freight trains must have cabooses that match the locomotive.
6: Time period is roughly 1938-1950. In other words, no modern equipment.
7: “Traditional” O or 027 is fine with me, but I never mix it with scale rolling stock. It’s gotta be one or the other.
8: NO command control. Conventional only.
I buy mostly scale stuff; Weaver, Atlas and some MTH and Lionel. I hardly ever buy new. When I go to a train show there are tons of used products. For the most part the used I buy is in like new condition for a good discount.
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